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Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: WalkingWicket37 on February 11, 2018, 03:23:49 PM

Title: Can a plank come good
Post by: WalkingWicket37 on February 11, 2018, 03:23:49 PM
Hi all

In what was now a rather silly idea I bought a couple of painted GM "players" from Sports Direct for the fun of stripping them down.

Having now used one of them a fair bit, and letting other players have a go it's turned out to be a total plank.

Is there anything I can do about this to try and get some kind of performance out of it, or do I just write it off as a lost cause?
Has anyone had a plank come good at all?
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: Gurujames on February 11, 2018, 03:55:41 PM
I did but it took years. I suggest you loan them out to enthusiastic youths.
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: WalkingWicket37 on February 11, 2018, 04:20:49 PM
@Gurujames as I'm sure everyone who used it will agree, this bat is such a plank it may put off said enthusiastic youth
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: LEACHY48 on February 11, 2018, 04:27:44 PM
@Gurujames as I'm sure everyone who used it will agree, this bat is such a plank it may put off said enthusiastic youth

Could put it on a knocking in machine for a while to see if there is any improvement?
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: WalkingWicket37 on February 11, 2018, 04:30:50 PM
@LEACHY48 the danger is it doesn't
The use of the machine would likely cost near to, if not the same as the bat did.

What started off as a bit of fun is now a waste of a bat grip haha
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: LEACHY48 on February 11, 2018, 04:32:39 PM
@LEACHY48 the danger is it doesn't
The use of the machine would likely cost near to, if not the same as the bat did.

What started off as a bit of fun is now a waste of a bat grip haha

Haha fair enough good point. Loan it out to a junior bat badger to knock in for hours on end?
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: alexhilly1492 on February 11, 2018, 04:40:46 PM
tidy it up again, add a clock or drill holes to turn into a wine rack?
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: brokenbat on February 11, 2018, 04:42:10 PM
You could try the "old school" oiling method. Give it multiple coats of oil. And if that fails.. resort to the old "stand it in a bowl of linseed" strategy. Could soften up the fibre a touch. Apparently, back in the day bats would be super hard pressed, and then players would spend a long time oiling the cr*p out of them. So this could work.
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: Seniorplayer on February 11, 2018, 05:15:36 PM
You could try the "old school" oiling method. Give it multiple coats of oil. And if that fails.. resort to the old "stand it in a bowl of linseed" strategy. Could soften up the fibre a touch. Apparently, back in the day bats would be super hard pressed, and then players would spend a long time oiling the cr*p out of them. So this could work.

Witnessed someone do this  unfortunatly it didn't make much difference to the bats performance
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: Yorkershire on February 11, 2018, 06:09:10 PM
Start a bonfire...
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: FattusCattus on February 11, 2018, 06:23:12 PM
@WalkingWicket37 - mate, that doesn’t even qualify as a ‘plank’, judging by the sound it made, it’s more of a ‘plink’ or a ‘plunk’!
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: Northern monkey on February 11, 2018, 06:54:00 PM
Turn it into a shelf,,, that's all it's good for
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: ppccopener on February 11, 2018, 07:04:02 PM
Northern what is he difference between a grade 4 UK English willow bat that is dead as an iron bar and a grade 1 or 2 English willow bat that does 'ping'

It's same wood but one has more elasticity than the other? Or is it all to do wi the pressing?

There's normally cosmetic differences but what else if anything separates the grades.

Something I've always wondered.
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: procricket on February 11, 2018, 08:16:22 PM
Depends who using it Cameron!!!
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: Seniorplayer on February 11, 2018, 08:20:50 PM
Grades are seperated by desireability created by the willow cosmetics which dictate price
We don't see many ugly grade 4s in shops
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: procricket on February 11, 2018, 08:25:47 PM
You have to remember lots of big brands press that bit harder on the lower grades as the mark up is not that much...They do not like lower end models coming back.
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: brokenbat on February 11, 2018, 08:28:11 PM
when all else fails - how about..... an attempt to convert it into a laminate ?! Not sure how that would be done - I guess you saw it (horizontally) from the toe up (up till a few inches below the splice, then pry it open and glue it back, to replicate what a laminate is? Sounds absolutely insane, but if you have the tools, why not go for it!
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: Seniorplayer on February 11, 2018, 08:30:48 PM
when all else fails - how about..... an attempt to convert it into a laminate ?! Not sure how that would be done - I guess you saw it (horizontally) from the toe up (up till a few inches below the splice, then pry it open and glue it back, to replicate what a laminate is? Sounds absolutely insane, but if you have the tools, why not go for it!

Or just glue a lump of wood on the back
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: WalkingWicket37 on February 11, 2018, 08:55:28 PM
Depends who using it Cameron!!!

@procricket normally I'd agree but all 6 players unfortunate enough to use it have said it's (No Swearing Please)!
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: ppccopener on February 11, 2018, 08:58:03 PM
You have to remember lots of big brands press that bit harder on the lower grades as the mark up is not that much...They do not like lower end models coming back.

That would make perfect sense
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: cricketbadger on February 11, 2018, 09:18:43 PM
Wine rack is looking like the best shout

Definitely something I'm gonna give a go with a batter old bat anyway
Title: Re: Can a plank come good
Post by: Northern monkey on February 11, 2018, 10:44:36 PM
Northern what is he difference between a grade 4 UK English willow bat that is dead as an iron bar and a grade 1 or 2 English willow bat that does 'ping'

It's same wood but one has more elasticity than the other? Or is it all to do wi the pressing?

There's normally cosmetic differences but what else if anything separates the grades.

Something I've always wondered.

I’d say it’s down to who’s pressing it

No ones ?daft enough to run a genuine grade one cleft through a press without checking it etc
Where as the lower grades are probably pushed through the press on a standard setting, hence you might get some decent pressed lower grades, due to the variances in the clefts.
If I was paying for the clefts, I’d be taking extra care with those genuine grade ones, taking care not to over press em

I’m sure there’s plenty of batmakers press each cleft on merit, but I’m fairly sure with others it’s more of a lottery